Optical device for a correct adjustment and reading of the slidable displacement of a carriage in a machine



y 3, 1962 K. RANTscH 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 1a Sheets-Sheet 1 July 3, 1962 K. RAN'rscH 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 3, 1962 K. RANTscl-l 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Sheets-Sheet 6 July 3, 1962 K. RANTscH 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Sheets-Sheet 4 y 3, 1962 K. RANTscH 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Shets-Sheet 5 July 3, 1962 K. RANTSCH 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fig.6

I A 561 A F r/ a I l .I I 5% 567 D l I 5563 2 1T see L6 7% K/ 2! f7 I l y 3, 1962 K. RANTscH 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Sheets-Sheet 7 Fig.8

-41 l if Ni 564 $22: 53a l IE 582 T V L 1 y L\ Q K )x 1 580,580 I Fly-9 W' July 3, 1962 K. RANTSCH 3,

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Sheets-Sheet 8 I! 2 q 60 V I M I Q K1, w I 609 T Q K5 x i I 609" ll 5 v:

July 3, 1962 K. RANTSCH 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE l8 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed March 5, 1959 July 3, 1962 K. RANTSCH 3,041,922 OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Sheets-Sheet 10 4 51 651 figss ms m y 3, 1962 K. RAN'rscl-l 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 SheetsSheet 11 July 3, 1962 K. RANTscH 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Shets-Sheet 12 ME /w July 3, 1962 K. RAN-rscH 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECTADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Sheets-Sheet 13 July 3, 1962 K. RANTscH 3,041,

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE' DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Sheets-Sheet 14 July 3, 1962 K. RKNTSCH 3,041,922

OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Sheets-Sheet 15 L I T 742 741 [LL 1 j 743 9- 5 //I/ a A 745 a KZ/ I r 7 1' I71 I I il III'Wf'I' July 3, 1962 K. RANTscH 3,041,922 OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Filed March 5, 1959 18 Sheets-Sheet 16 3,041,922 OPTICAL DEVICE FOR A CORRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIDABLE DISPLACEMENT OF A CARRIA Filed March 5, 1959 K. RANTscH July 3, 1962 GE IN A MACHINE 18 SheetsSheet 17 r R 3 r llllllllllI-I- "41 11171717176717! l- .lllllll- 3,041,922 ADING OF K. RANTscH July 3, 1962 THE SLIDABLE DIS Filed March 5, 1959 l8 Sheets-Sheet 18 3,041,922 Patented July 3, 1962 Free 3,041,922 OPTIQAL DEVICE FOR A C-JRRECT ADJUSTMENT AND READING OF THE SLIIDABLE DISPLACE- MENT UP A (ZARRIAGE IN A MACHINE Kurt Ritntsch, Wetzlar, Germany, assignor to M. Hensoldt & Siihne Optische Werhe A.G., Wetzlar, Germany Filed Mar. 5, I959, Ser. No. 797,381 Claims priority, application Germany Mar. 8, 1958 15 (Jiaims. (Cl. 88--14) The invention relates to an optical device for correctly adjusting and reading the amount of displacement of a slidable carriage in a machine and constitutes in particular a further development and an improvement of a similar device described and claimed in applicants co-pending patent application Serial No. 790,917 filed on February 3, 1959. The mentioned co-pending patent application discloses an optical device for adjusting and reading the displacement of a slidable carriage in a machine in which a measuring rule is fixedly attached to a portion of the machine while a reading device is arranged in a slidable portion of the machine or vice versa, and in which optical elements project an image of a portion of the measuring rule onto the reticle of the reading device. Furthermore, the projection path is conducted over optical elements which retain their position in space even though the carriage may perform minor tilting movements as a result of errors in the guideways, in fact, these optical elements compensate any tilting movement of the carriage by a suitable deflection of the light rays in said projection path. The disclosure made in the co-pending patent application explains that the mentioned optical elements may be used in all cases in which it is desired to compensate errors in gnideways for a carriage, particularly on linear measurement machines, machine tools, and the like.

It is an object of the invention to provide an optical device for the purpose as stated which is not only adapted to compensate inaccuracies in guideways extending in a single direction, but also in two diiferent perpendicularly arranged directions, in other words, in which inaccuracies are compensated which may occur in a plane to be measured.

In a machine in which a workpiece is to be measured or is to be worked upon in a plane, it is required that three conditions have to be met in order to obtain measuring results which are free of any errors. First of all, it is required that the carriage which carries the workpiece, must be slidably displaceable in one direction and must not deviate laterally or in elevation; furthermore, a slidable displacement tree from errors must also be possible in a second direction which is at right angle to the first mentioned direction and finally, the two mentioned different slidable directions of movements must always be exactly at a right angle with respect to each other.

The first condition and also the second condition may be complied with when one employs for each slidable direction of movement, as mentioned in a measuring microscope, the means disclosed in applicants co-pending patent application. 'When this is done, however, the third condition is not met. Particularly, when the guide means in one direction is adjusted with respect to the other in elevation as it is the case in machine tools, measuring machines, and the like. The required rectangular position of the two slidable directions is not maintained in accordance with the present invention. However, the required rectangularity of the two slidable adjustments is obtained when the measuring table or the carriage is constructed for instance in the form of a crosswise movable table.

It is another object of the invention to employ a crosswise movable table in cooperation with a measuring grid and with optical means which project an image of a portion of this measuring grid onto the reticle of the reading device.

In accordance with still another object of the invention the reading device is constructed in a manner that it can perform readings of measurements which take place in two directions which are in right angles to one another.

With these and other objects in view as will appear hereinafter, the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate various embodiments of an optical device in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side elevation view of a drilling machine in which the workpiece is mounted on a slidable and crosswise movable carriage.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top plane view of the measuring grid employed in the drilling machine of FIG. 1 and also illustrates the optical elements for projecting an image of a portion of this measuring grid into the viewing de vice.

FIG. 3 is a section along the line III-III of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3a and 3b illustrate the operation of the optical compensation device employed in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a modified embodiment of the machine illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a top plane view of the measuring grid of the machine shown in FIG. 4 and also shows some of the optical elements for projecting the measuring result into the viewing device.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the machine as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 illustrates a sectional view along the line VII- VII of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 illustrates still another modified embodiment of a machine according to FIG. 1, but illustrates only a single objective lens.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view along the line IX-IX of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 shows a modified embodiment of the machine as shown in FIG. 1, but provides for an adjustment of the distance between the measuring grid and the measuring plane.

FIG. 11 illustrates a device for comparing two spaced surfaces with each other and which employs a pendulum mounted prism.

FIG. 12 is a side elevation view of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 shows a modified embodiment of the device as illustrated in FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a side elevation view of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 illustrates a modified embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 16 is a side elevation view of the distance shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 illustrates still another modified embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 18 shows a side elevation view of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 illustrates still another modified embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 11.

FIGS. 20, 21 and 22 show each a device for drilling workpieces with the assistance of a template and show different compensation devices.

FIG. 23 shows a device according to FIG. 1 but with a virtual superimposition of the measuring plane and the measuring grid plane.

FIG. 24 is a top plane view of the device shown in FIG. 23 with parts broken away to illustrate the optical means and the measuring grid.

FIG. 25 illustrates a modified embodiment of the device as shown in FIG. 23.

FIG. 26 is a top plane view of the device of FIG. 25 with parts broken away to show the optical means and the measuring grid.

FIG. 27 illustrates the details of a reading device and the means for slidably displacing the reticle of the same in two different directions.

FIG. 28 shows the reticle of FIG. 27 in plane view.

FIG. 29 illustrates a different reading device employing optical means for directing the measuring rays to two different reticles.

FIG. 30 is a plane view of one of the adjustable reticle devices shown in FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 shows a plane view of the other reticle device shown in FIG. 29.

FIG. 32 illustrates a reading device in side elevation view arranged on a machine similar to FIG. 1.

FIG. 33 shows an end elevation view of the device shown in FIG. 32.

Referring to the FIGS. 1 and 2, the frame 595 of the drilling machine is provided with a horizontally slidable coordinate table 500 and a mirror surface Sill. The table 500 has provided thereon a measuring grid 562 and on the measuring or operating plane 503 of the drilling machine is arranged a workpiece 564, the dimensions of which are to be determined or which workpiece is to be machined. The measuring grid 502 preferably consists of a graph having measuring lines crossing each other at right angles and spaced one centimeter apart. Each measuring line consists of two closely spaced parallel lines or a so-called double line as shown in FIG. 2. The workpiece 504 is positioned upon the table The table 500 is horizontally slidable in a guideway 50%) in the direction of the double arrow 506. The guideway 500' in turn is slidable in another horizontal guideway 500" arranged at right angles to the plane of the drawing. The frame 505 of the drilling machine is equipped with optical elements which project an image of the grid scale on the table 500 onto a graduated plate or reticle 517. The light rays coming from the measuring grid 502 are first directed onto the mirror fraces 508 and 509 of the Porro system second class. From the latter the light rays pass through an objective lens 510 which projects the light rays in parallel arrangement onto the reflecting mirror faces 511 and 512 of the Porro system. The light rays then pass through a partly transparent reflecting face 513 cemented between the prisms 514 and 515 and then reach the mirror 501. After reflection by this mirror 501 the light rays are conducted by the partly transparent mirror layer 513 to a second objective lens 516 which collects the light rays on the reticle 517 of the reading device. The reticle 517 is observed by means of a magnifying lens 507.

For determining the dimensions of the work piece 504 or for machining the work piece 504 the latter is being slidably moved by moving the table 500, for instance such a distance until the desired dimension required for the machining has been correctly adjusted. During the movement of the table 500 the measuring grid 502 on the same is also moved and likewise the mirror Sill is moved. Since, however, the other optical elements do not participate in this movement, there will appear a corresponding point of the measuring grid on the reticle 517. Therefore, it is possible to determine by viewing the reticle the value of the displacement in both directions of movement of the table 500. Any guide errors in the guideways of the crosswise movable table 500 are compensated by the mirror surface 501.

The effect of this compensation is diagrammatically illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3b. The guide errors to be compensated may be divided into two types of errors. One error may occur when the slidable table should tilt about an axis extending parallel to the guide plane while on the other hand another error may occur when the slidable table tilts about an axis which extends at right angles to the guide plane. The first error, when it occurs, is illustrated in FIG. 3a while FIG. 3b illustrates the second error.

According to the error illustrated in FIG. 3a, the workpiece 504 together with the grid scale 502 and the mirror 501, for instance, tilts about an axis which extends parallel to the guide plane and through the cross point K of the projecting system. The measuring point P will then appear at P. The Por-ro system second class 568, 5%, Eli, 512 constitutes in effect a reflecting optical axis. This axis has been designated in FIG. 3a with 519. The light rays coming from the point P are reflected onto this axis or respectively in this Porro system second class in such a manner that the light rays reach the mirror in the point P". From here the light rays are reflected and are directed by the partly transparent mirror layer 513 parallel to the optical axis of the objective lens 516. Accordingly, the objective lens 516 collectes the light rays again on the same point in the reading window 517.

FIG. 3a also illustrates that the distance of the objectiVe lens 516' from the grid scale 5&2 is equal to h and this distance is equal to the focal length of this objective lens 516 and the distance of the grid scale 592 from the measuring plane 5% is equal to 2 so that the cross point K of the projection system will fall into the measuring plane.

A corresponding compensation would be obtained when the axis of tilt extends again parallel to the guide plane but parallel to the plane of the drawing.

FIG. 3b illustrates the condition in which the reading point A in the grid scale and also the target point or the point of machining Z on the work piece should tilt about an axis at right angles to the guide plane about an angle U and passing through the point X 3.. t is assumed furthermore that the target point Z and the reading point A are not vertically arranged one above the other. In such a case the target point Z moves to Z and the reading point A moves to A. The points Z and Z differ in the direction of the arrow X a distance equal to b and the points A and A differ about a distance equal to a. One will recognize that the distance I; is greater. In addition, the points Z and A differ in the direction of the arrow Y about a distance equal to c. The points A and Z, when no errors are made, have to be moved, however, always about the same distance. This is possible only when, as it is assumed according to the invention, the points Z and A are arranged one above the other.

The FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate an embodiment of the invention in which the grid scale is arranged on a mirror surface 541} which retains its position. The grid scale on the reflecting mirror surface 540 is again arranged at a distance equal to the focal length of the projecting system 541 away from the latter. The distance between the grid scale on the surface 549 and the measuring plane 542 is again equal to 2h.

The light rays coming from the grid scale are reflected by a reflecting square having the reflecting faces 543 and 544 into an objective lens 541. In rear of this objective lens 541 the light rays meet the partly transparent mirror layer 545 which reflects the light rays at a right angle onto the mirror 540. After being reflected by this mirror 546 the light rays pass through the semi-transparent mirror layer 545 and after reflection by another mirror 546 the light rays enter an objective lens 547 which again collects the light rays on the reticle 548 of the reading device.

In the above described embodiments of the invention the grid scale is arranged between a mirror which retains its position and the measuring plane.

The FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate an embodiment of the invention in which a mirror surface 560 which retains its position is arranged between the measuring plane 561 and the grid scale 562. The distance between the measuring plane 561 and the grid scale 562 is again equal to 2f when f is equal to the focal length of the objective lens 563. The grid scale 562 itself is arranged again at 

